We Stick Together
by DownintheDeep
Summary: A sequel to my previous story "A New Journey". This story follows the lives of Joel, Ellie, and AJ as they try their best to live a normal life once and for all. Will they be able to overcome all encounters? Will they be able to continue surviving? If so, for how long?
1. Trust

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I'm back. I know a lot of you guys have been hoping for a sequel and the last thing I want to do is disappoint my readers. So here it is. The sequel to my original story "A New Journey." I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think in a review. And just to let you guys know, I won't be updating very often after this upcoming Monday, because that is when I will be starting school, so I'll try my best to get out a couple more chapters before then. Thanks.**

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**Chapter 1**

It had been three months since AJ had returned from his little 'incident' with the Fireflies. He was still a little sore from the wounds he suffered at their hands, but he was slowly getting better with Ellie and Joel's aid. They were now on the brink of the winter season. Ellie had awoken to a delightful scent and sat up on her bed with her legs dangling off the edge and a big smile on her face. However, the smile she had was short-lived. She looked out the pale, broken window in her room to see small patches of white falling from the sky. _Snow. It must be winter already. Great...just great_, she thought. She continued to stare out the window as if she was lost and had no idea where to go. All the memories of her past experience in the winter started to make their way back into her mind. The thought of David made her shiver. She despised the guy. All she could remember was constantly running through the snowstorm, not being able to see anything. She remembered the crazed and creepy look that was on his face as he began strangling her. It was all too much. She began to shed a few tears out of her eyes. She was so concentrated on her window that she hadn't noticed AJ walk into the room.

"Morning Ell! I just came up to see -" He cut himself off at the sight of Ellie crying. He hated to see her like that. He knew she was a strong survivor, as strong as they come nowadays actually, but deep down, she was still a fifteen-year old girl. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know exactly what was wrong.

"Ellie? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She didn't respond. She just continued to stare out the window. He decided to follow her gaze thoroughly, hoping that it would give him some idea of what was upsetting her. At first, he didn't notice what she was staring at, so he began to think harder, and then it hit him. It was staring him right in the face and he couldn't believe he didn't notice. _Snow. Winter. Ahhh, David. That's what she's so upset about. That fucking asshole. I swear to god if he was still alive, I would have slaughtered his fucking ass. Fuck I need to do something. And quick._ He approached her slowly and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, trying his best not to startle her in the process. He was shocked by the reaction he got from her. It was all so quick.

She quickly grabbed his hand and shoved it away. She didn't know it was AJ. All she saw was a tall, older figure in front of her. All she saw was David. It disgusted her. She felt dirty and violated. She looked around for anything she could use to get away, and then she spotted it. She grasped the pistol that was lying on her bedside table and pointed it at his head. She threatened to shoot when all of a sudden, she heard a recognizable voice. A voice of someone very dear to her heart.

"Woah! Ellie. It's me. It's me AJ. You don't want to do this. He's playing with your head." She shook her head to try and knock the confusion out. And then she saw him. The man who stood before her, who she thought was David, was actually AJ. She couldn't believe it. She had just threatened to shoot her boyfriend. _What the hell was I thinking? What's wrong with me? He probably hates me right now, _she thought. "Ellie? Are you alright? You want to put the gun down now?"

It took her a while to realize that she was still pointing the gun at him. She gladly placed the gun back on the bedside table, where she initially found it. She turned back to face AJ, with an apologetic look in her eye. She wanted to say sorry, but she didn't know how. This wasn't just something small. This was serious. She threatened to kill the guy for no reason. She felt nothing but guilt. She had to try to apologize to him.

"AJ, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean -"

"Quit it. There's no need to apologize to me. I completely understand." She got a little angry at him for this remark. What did he mean, he completely understands. How could he possibly understand what she had to go through? It's not like he ever experienced the feeling of almost being raped before. She shuttered at the thought of the word.

"No you don't. You can't possibly understand." Her tone had dimmed down. She didn't seem as angry as before. Now, she seemed more hurt. She looked like she needed the comfort. After all, it was all AJ could really offer, knowing that she was right with what she was saying.

He sighed. "Yeah..yeah I guess you're right. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to help you through it as best as I can." She appreciated the concern. She knew that he truly cared about her. That he loved her. And frankly, that love was mutual. She was in love with the guy. He always knew what to do and what to say. Well, most of the time at least.

She moved closer and embraced him into a tight hug. "I know. And I love you for that. But I think that this is something that I have to get over myself."

"Alright. Sure thing."

"Oh. And sorry for the whole gun thing." She stared down at her feet awaiting his response. She still felt guilty about what had occurred earlier.

"That's alright. You didn't think I was actually going to let you shoot me, did you? That would be too easy." he said sarcastically.

She playfully punched his arm. "Oh shut up. Can we go eat now? I'm fucking starving!"

He chuckled. "Yeah. Let's go."

She grabbed his arm and dragged him along as she headed out of her room. She jogged quickly down the stairs with him right behind her. The stairs made a creaking noise every time someone put weight on the steps, and it always creeped her out. She ignored it for the time being. She wanted food her belly. No, scratch that. She _needed_ food in her belly. Occasionally, Joel and AJ would make jokes about how Ellie ate so much, and at first it irritated her, but she got over it in due time. Once they had gotten downstairs, she saw Joel sitting by his lonesome at the table with two full plates across from him. She approached him with a smile on her face.

"Good morning dad. Is that food for us?"

"Of course not. I invited a couple of people over for breakfast," he said sarcastically. To her misfortune, Ellie didn't notice the sarcasm in his voice. The look on her face was priceless to Joel. She just stood there with her mouth open for a good minute before having the energy to spit out one small word.

"Fuck."

He burst out laughing. "I'm kidding baby girl. Sit down. You too AJ. Go ahead. Eat up."

"OH THANK GOD!" she said. She ran to the closest seat to where she was standing and began stuffing her face. She couldn't help herself. They hadn't had a meal like this in days. It was a long time coming. After her first bite, her eyes shut tight, and she felt like she was in heaven.

"Oh my god. This is fucking delicious. What is it?"

"A peanut butter sandwich."

"Well it's awesome! You _have _to make it more often!"

He chuckled quietly. "Alright kiddo. Now eat up. And try not to talk with your mouthful."

She swallowed the food that was in her mouth and snickered. "I'll try. But I won't make any promises. So what are we doing today?"

"Well I was thinking about staying at home for the day. Figured you two need to spend more time together without me around. I _can_ trust you two, right?"

"Yeah of course dad. We'll be careful."

He smiled and nodded. Ellie took this as a sign that they could leave and ran upstairs to grab their things. She returned back with both bags, appearing to be struggling with the one over her right shoulder. It was AJ's backpack.

"Holy shit AJ! What the hell do you have in here? It's so fucking heavy!"

He chuckled. "Sorry. Give it here. I can't tell you yet. It's a surprise. I'll show you...soon enough. But for now, you have to be patient. Got it?"

"Can I at least have a peek?" She stepped forward in an attempt to try and skim inside the bag, but he pulled it away from her.

"Sorry. You're just going to have to wait."

She was a little frustrated. Now that he had told her that there was something special in his bag, she desperately wanted to know what it was. She wouldn't give up until she found out. But she was feeling lazy at the moment, so she let him have his way. She would deal with it later.

"Fine. Fine. Whatever. Now let's go have some fun."

"Okay."

Ellie and AJ waved goodbye to Joel who was now lying on the couch half asleep.

"Bye dad. We'll be back soon!" said Ellie.

As the door shut, worry start to creep into Joel's mind. He was worried if Ellie would be okay in the open world without him, especially since it was winter now. However, he calmed down knowing the fact that AJ was with her. He knew that AJ wouldn't let anything happen to her. Although he didn't admit it directly, Joel was glad that AJ made his way back into their lives. He just hoped that they could finally live a 'normal' life together, whatever 'normal' was.

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**A/N:**

**I know this chapter could have been better. But make sure you follow/favourite as I promise you that the chapters will get better as we go forward in the story. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story, and if you haven't read my other story, make sure to check out that one too. Thanks a lot for the support!**


	2. Think Fast!

**Chapter 2**

They headed out the door, leaving Joel behind in the house. He wasn't getting any younger, and they figured that the least they could do was give him some well earned rest for all the work he did in fixing up their new home. When they stepped out, all they could feel was snow gently hitting their faces, and a very cold breeze. It was colder than last winter for Ellie, and she stayed as close to AJ as possible to keep herself warm. Luckily for them, they were somewhat prepared for this type of weather. Ellie was wearing her red converse shoes, her classic olive green coat, and had her hair tied back in a ponytail like always. AJ, on the other hand, was wearing a thick black coat, with camouflage cargo pants, and a pair of old snow boots that he had found a while back. It wasn't exactly the best time for them to be outside, taking into consideration how cold it was, but they realized that Joel was right. They did need to spend some alone time together. They had barely been alone together ever since AJ had gotten back. They wanted to have some fun together, but they weren't sure what to do.

"So...what do you want to do?" asked Ellie. She was getting colder and colder by the minute, and to be completely honest, she wanted to go back home where it was warm. But she didn't want to tell AJ that. The wind was blowing her hair into her face. AJ saw her begin to blow on her hands and rub them together, and he started to worry.

He obviously didn't want her to freeze to death. He wanted to stay out, but if Ellie was too cold, he would be willing to go back home. He began to question her actions. "You alright Ell? Y'know, if it's too cold, we can always go back to -"

"No. No, I'm fine. I want to stay. And anyways, Joel deserves some time alone." He figured that she was right. He nodded and reached his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a pair of gloves and handed them to her. "What the fuck!? You had gloves this whole time!? Why didn't you give them to me earlier!?"

He chuckled. "I didn't think you would need them. I thought you were tougher than that." She took at as an insult, but she didn't take it to heart. They always made jokes like that to each other. It was their way of showing their love for one another.

She grinned at him and simultaneously stuck her middle finger up. "Fuck you. I'm tougher than you could ever be AJ."

He snickered. "If you say so." She ignored the remark and rolled her eyes. She thought it wasn't worth wasting the time over. They continued to press forward. They walked past nearby rivers, and houses, but they still couldn't figure out what to do. And then it hit him. _Literally_.

AJ had been struck in the back of the head by a snowball. He turned around with his hand on the back of his head to see Ellie pointing and laughing at him. He was somewhat hurt, but at the same time, he was happy that she had finally figured out something for them to do. "Oh man! I knew I shouldn't have given you those gloves. This means war!"

She smiled and hid behind a nearby tree. AJ had ducked down to try and form a snowball of his own, but when he lifted his head, he was hit straight in the face by another one of Ellie's snowballs. She fell to the ground laughing. She couldn't help herself. It was hysterical to her. When she was able to hold her speak, all he heard her say was "Bullseye!"

He wiped the snow off his face and hid behind nearby cover. If he was going to hit Ellie, he had to be smart about it. He felt bad about throwing snowballs at her. He didn't want to hurt her. But she was throwing snowballs at him, and she didn't feel bad about it, so why should he? "I'm going to get you for that."

"Yeah you wish." Luckily for AJ, when Ellie had said her last sentence, he prepared a bunch of snowballs and kept them at the ready. It was now or never. At first he couldn't see where she was hiding, but then he spotted her auburn hair, and slowly creeped up behind her with his snowballs. When she turned around, he quickly opened fire.

"OH FUC-" was all she was able to muster before her cute little face was repeatedly hit with snowballs. She had no time to react. When AJ had finally run out of snowballs, he stood there with a big smile on his face. He was damn proud of his work.

"Oh my god! You should see your face right now Ell! It's classic!" She didn't seem to think that it was as funny as he made it out to be. When his guard was at its lowest point, she quickly took the opportunity to jump on top of him and tackle him to the ground. They both began to laugh in unison at this. It was truly the most fun that they had together for a long time. Once the laughter had stopped, they stared deeply into each other's eyes and shared an incredibly passionate kiss. It was clear that love was hard to find in this fucked up world, but luckily for Ellie and AJ, they had found it. The kiss lasted for about a minute. It would have lasted longer if they hadn't been rudely interrupted.

They heard a noise in the distance. They had been stuck in this world for so long that their ears were so sensitive to even the slightest bit of sound. However, they weren't exactly sure what it was this time. Just when they thought that it was out of their way, they heard it again, and this time, the noise was loud and clear. It was a gunshot. They quickly glanced at each other and agreed that they had to get out of there, fast.

AJ grabbed Ellie's arm and ran, pulling her along with him. He was quicker on his feet, and he wanted to make sure that she was always there with him. At first, they heard footsteps on their trail. They didn't want to look behind them because they were afraid of how close their pursuers really were to them. However, the footsteps quickly drifted away as they approached the path leading to the house. AJ and Ellie quickly opened the door and shut it tight, making sure that it was locked. They rested their back and heads on the door in relief and tried to catch their breath. Ellie bent over and let out a few coughs before speaking.

"Man...(cough)...that was (cough) close."

"You got that right."

"You think they saw that we came here?" She was nervous. They stayed in so many places since they got here, and this was the only one that felt like a home to her. They lived here for about seven or eight months and she wasn't ready to lose the best home that they ever had. Not by a long shot.

"I don't think so. I think we lost them. We're fine. Don't worry."

"Alright."

They unpacked their gear and stripped off their winter clothing before heading towards the living room where Joel was sitting. He started to make a fire when he heard them walk through the door. He took a quick glance at them. He noticed that they weren't covered in blood, and they didn't seem to be hurt in anyway, but they seemed too quiet. He became a little suspicious.

"Hey kids. Everything alright? Run into any trouble?"

"Well, besides being chased by a group of hunters, we're fine Joel. No need to worry."

"Well alright then. Come on you too. Sit by the fire. I reckon you two are freezing after being out there that long." Ellie and AJ obliged. AJ had sat down first next to Joel, and then Ellie joined them, cuddling up beside AJ. The fire wasn't enough warmth for her. She needed the warmth from AJ as well. And frankly, he didn't mind. He thought it was kind of cute.

They had sat by the fire for what seemed like hours. They already had some venison for dinner, and Ellie had fallen asleep in AJ's lap. Joel had fallen asleep on the couch leaving him alone to be the only one awake in the house. He figured that it was time for him to get some sleep as well. He got up gently, cradling Ellie in his arms, and slowly walked up the stairs, trying his best not to wake her up. He put her down on the bed and proceeded to leave, but then he noticed her reach her arm out to an empty spot on the bed. It was almost as if she was expecting him to be there. He decided to go with it and lied down in the bed with her, cuddling her in his arms. He kissed the side of her cheek.

"Night princess."

"Good night AJ."

He didn't expect a response. He thought she was sound asleep. It seemed like she was anyway. Maybe she had woken up when he cuddled next to her. Nevertheless, the sound of her voice put a smile on his face. He was so close to falling asleep. He was beginning to drift off, and his eyes were beginning to shut. But his eyes rapidly shot back open when he heard the sound of clicking from downstairs. He knew what it was instantly. He was afraid. Not for himself, but for Joel. Joel was still downstairs and seemed to be still asleep. He had to go help him. He grabbed his axe which was leaning against the wall, and proceeded to head downstairs, uncertain of what he was actually dealing with.

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**A/N:**

**Hope you guys are enjoying it so far. I know that there hasn't been much action in the first two chapters of the story, but don't worry. I will have action coming in as soon as possible. So stay tuned! As always, make sure to favourite, follow and review! Thanks!**


	3. Luck

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! Here's the next installment of "We Stick Together" I hope you enjoy it. Just a reminder, this is a sequel to my previous story, so if you haven't read that one, I recommend that you read that one first. And also, make sure to check out the other story I'm working on with BlueSky509 called "Denver's Finest." Only one chapter has been released for that story so far, but there will be more chapters coming soon for that one, so stay tuned. As always, favourite, follow, and review. Thanks!**

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**Chapter 3**

The dark-haired boy opened the bedroom door extremely slowly, making sure not to alert their unexpected visitor, or visitors, in any way. He stepped into the hallway next to the stairs and began scanning his surroundings. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything looked okay. He was starting to get a little frightened. He knew he heard something out of the ordinary. And, he wouldn't be able to sleep until he found it. He muttered something to try and get its' attention.

"Show your disgusting face you motherfucker." He crept down the stairs slowly, checking every now and then if there was someone, or something, trying to sneak up on him. But nothing. He started to feel sweat trickling down the side of his face. His heart was beating so fast that he felt like it was going to burst. If this is what fear felt like, he didn't like it one bit.

Once he reached the bottom of the steps, he positioned himself in a way that he could see every inch of the lower floor. He still heard nothing and decided to move further into the house. One by one, he checked each of the rooms but was worried when he found nothing. The last room he checked was the living room. Unlike in the other rooms however, he did notice something different this time. The window was left open, causing the nearby curtains to blow almost rhythmically with the wind, and he could feel a cold breeze entering the premises. He immediately shut the window to ensure that no one could get in or out. He had found the source to how the intruder got into the house. Now all he had to do was find the intruder. Of course, it was easier said than done.

He saw Joel lying on the couch in the room. He was tempted to wake him up, knowing that two sets of eyes would be better for this situation than one. But after he gave it further thought, he decided otherwise. He was about to give up. He marched towards the stairs, attempting to head back to sleep, and that's when he saw it. The clicker was standing still right beside the staircase. It looked like it was asleep. He knew he had to be quiet. He approached the clicker slowly. He was breathing heavily knowing that the clicker could quite possibly wake up any second. He almost got close enough to strike, when he hit his foot on a wooden table, and the clicker heard this. The infected human immediately awoke and began screaming while flailing its arms and walking towards AJ. AJ took this chance and struck the clicker right in the neck with his axe, and then in the head for good measure. It fell to the ground, dead.

The older man had awoken to the sound of the scream. He had no idea what was going on. He stepped out of the living room to investigate. It was then that he saw the young teenager standing atop a dead infected. He questioned him immediately.

"AJ? You alright? What happened?" He had a sense of worry in his tone of voice. After spending so much time with the boy, AJ was like family now, and he wanted to make sure that he was always alright just like he did with Ellie.

"No biggie. I just heard the clicker from upstairs. You were asleep and I knew I needed to do something so that it didn't bite you. Sorry for waking you."

"Well thank you. Appreciate it. I'm just glad you're alright." He motioned over to the clicker that was now lying on the ground. He knew that it would do no good inside the house. In fact, it was dangerous to keep it in the house as it would start to let off spores quite soon. "I reckon we should get rid of the body before it starts to let off spores."

"Yeah. You're probably right." They grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around the body before picking it up. As they picked it up, they witnessed the redhead walking down the stairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Hey. I heard screaming and - ...wait what the fuck is that?" She pointed at the blanket that they were holding and they couldn't help but chuckle at the look on her face. Her eyes were wide open and she had a confused look on her face.

"It's nothing baby girl. Just a clicker. We're going out to get rid of it. Now go on back to bed."

"Aww. Can't I come with you guys?" Truthfully, she didn't enjoy the idea of carrying a dead clicker's body around. But she thought of it as an adventure. And she really enjoyed exploring. She made a puppy dog face, hoping that Joel would cave like he almost always did.

"You really want to come help us dump an infected body kiddo?" He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. It was dark out and he didn't want to put his baby girl in any sort of danger. And frankly, he didn't think it was any sort of fun either.

"Why the hell not? Besides, I got nothing better to do. And you should know by now that I'm not very fond of being alone." It was true. She never liked the idea of being alone. She always got paranoid that someone was watching her every time she was left behind. Joel realized this and gave her a slight nod of approval. She smiled. "Cool! I'll go get my things."

AJ and Joel dropped the body realizing that they should probably grab their stuff too, just in case they run into any trouble while they're out there. Once they were all good and ready with their winter gear on, they picked up the body one more time and headed out the door. The weather wasn't as bad as it was that morning. It was a little warmer and it wasn't snowing this time around. It was almost somewhat soothing. After a few minutes of walking, they spotted a forest in the distance and agreed that it would be as good a place as any. They didn't necessarily like the idea of walking through the snow because if any hunters walked by, they may see the footprints left in the snow and know that someone is around. But at the moment, they didn't really have much of a choice. They had to get rid of the body as quick as possible.

They made their way through an abandoned barn, over a metal gate and towards a narrow alleyway that was leading to the forest. Once they made their way into the alleyway, Ellie began to speak. "Holy shit. Everything looks so fucking awesome in the dark...wait who was that? Why are they repeating what I'm saying? Dad?" She looked around to see if anyone was watching them. She didn't like the idea of strange people being around, especially if they were mocking her. That just irritated her even more.

Joel chuckled. "Relax Ellie. It's just an echo."

"A what? What's an echo?" She had a curious look on her face with one eyebrow raised. She had never used or heard of that word before. She was an interesting teenager. She liked to read. She liked to learn new things. Most teenagers her age back before the infection started would probably beg to differ, but Ellie wasn't like them. She enjoyed reading and expanding her vocabulary. But this was something new and it immediately got her attention.

"An echo is pretty much when you speak, and the sound waves you produce reflect off the nearby walls."

She began to wonder. "Well how come there's no echo at home then?"

He realized that his definition wasn't as clear as he thought it was and decided to expand on it. "You can only here echoes in tight spaces. Somewhere small, like this alleyway."

"Oh. That makes sense. It's pretty awesome. I love it. HELLO!" She screamed expecting to hear the echo again. A big smile grew on her face when she heard the echo scream back at her. _HELLO! Hello! hello!_. "Wow! So fucking cool!"

"Alright kiddo. Keep your voice down. We don't know if we're alone yet. Let's keep moving." He was glad that she was having fun. It was always heartwarming for him to see her enjoying herself. But at the same time, he knew that it was dangerous for them to be making a lot of noise.

Once they had finally reached the forest, they looked around for a suitable spot to place the body. AJ found one a few moments later. It was an empty ditch placed next to a big old oak tree. Joel agreed that it was a good spot and they dropped the body into the ditch. It fell with a loud thud and they quickly looked around to make sure that it hadn't drawn any attention. After inspecting the area a little, they concluded that the area was clear and headed back the way they came towards their home. They breathed in relief as they realized that they got lucky this time around. But two questions always stuck in the back of their minds no matter the situation. How long would their luck last? And how far would it take them?


	4. Fancy Meeting You Here

**Chapter 4**

It had been two long weeks since the night the clicker made its way into their house. Unfortunately for them, surviving hadn't gotten any easier. The snow was falling harder, the winds were blowing heavily, it was getting colder and colder as the days went by, and they were running desperately low on supplies. On the bright side, they didn't run into any infected or hunters during that span of time. That was always a good thing. Nevertheless, they needed to hunt for more supplies very soon if they had any hope of surviving another day.

"Alright kids. Got everything you need?" The young boy and girl nodded simultaneously in agreement. He saw the straight looks on their faces and started to think to himself. _Kids shouldn't have to go through with this shit._ They had grown so use to living in this new world that they didn't get a chance to experience a taste of the world before the infection. He wanted to change that. "Now listen here. We're just gonna head out for a little while to look for supplies. Nothing more. We clear you two?"

"We understand dad. Can we just get going? I'm fucking bored here." She was getting quite irritated. Ellie wasn't the type to stay in one spot for a long period of time. She loved to explore. She loved to learn new things. Joel new this, and frankly, that was one of the many things he admired about her. He casually chuckled. "Okay. Let's get a move on then."

Joel walked out the door with Ellie and AJ close behind him. They headed towards a rundown factory that was nearby town. Once they reached it, they stopped and stared at it in awe. It wasn't the nicest of places, but it was useful nonetheless. It wasn't the first time they paid a visit to the factory either. They came here a few months back to look for supplies as well. The last time they came, there was a whole bunch of supplies. They just hoped that there was still some supplies left over.

They entered the building, checking every corner and every room to make sure that there was no surprise in store for them. "Alright. I think we're clear. You know the drill. See what you can find." They searched the building for about an hour, ensuring that they checked every shelf and cupboard that their eyes met. To their delight, they found more than enough supplies. Scissors, rags, sugar, medicine, and even a couple of cans of canned soup. Ellie looked at the cans, and her smile quickly turned to a frown.

"Fuck. I thought it was something else." She shrugged. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing. At least it's something we can eat. Speaking of which, it's almost time for lunch. When are we going to eat?" AJ was right on cue. The sound of a loud grumble came from within the depths of his stomach. The red-haired girl couldn't help giggle. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's starving this time."

Joel snickered and began to speak. "Well I guess we have enough supplies to last us a good while. Let's head back. I'll cook us up something once we get back. Sound good?" Ellie replied with a simple thumbs up. They proceeded towards the door when they heard the sound of footsteps headed their way. They seemed to be getting closer. "Shit. Get down and stay out of sight."

They got down just in time to see a grown man step into the room. He looked a little older, around Joel's age actually. He had shoulder-length hair that was a dark brown colour, a scruffy beard, and he looked quite fat as well. However, he seemed to be quite the survivor. He had bullets running diagonally across his chest, a shotgun lying across his back, and a machete in hand. He also had a gas mask with him. But this was no ordinary man. No. This was a figure from Joel and Ellie's past, and they recognized him immediately. Ellie nudged Joel and began to whisper.

"Isn't that-"

"Yeah. That's Bill alright." Joel wasn't as quiet as he hoped to be. To his misfortune, Bill had heard his voice and was immediately wary about his surroundings.

Bill pulled out his shotgun which was already loaded with bullets from what Joel could tell. "Who's there?" Joel decided that it would be their best option to stand up and reveal themselves. He motioned to the two teenagers who reluctantly got up alongside him.

"Who the fuck are - ...Joel?" Bill was flabbergasted. He hadn't seen a familiar face in over a year. He wasn't exactly ecstatic to see Joel specifically, but he had to admit, that even though he didn't take too well to company, it was much better to see an old friend than a ruthless infected.

"Hey Bill. What are you doing in these parts? I thought you said you would never leave your town." It was true. Bill did say that to him. He seemed to be settled into his town the last time he and Ellie were there. He knew that there had to be something that went wrong.

"Didn't have much of a choice. Town got overrun by a hoard of infected. So here I am. How about you? What are you doing here?" He looked over at Ellie who gave him a dark glare back in his direction. "What's _she_ still doing with you? I thought she was just a drop off." She never really liked Bill. She was able to tolerate him the last time they were together, but he wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with.

"Well, we've been living in this town for about eight months now. Not too bad of a place here. It's not completely safe, but it's better than everywhere else we've been. And Ellie...well she's not a drop off. She's like a daughter to me now and she means more to me than anything left in the world today." Ellie gave him a reassuring smile to show that she loved him just as much as he loved her.

"I thought I told you to stay away from people you cared about. It's only good for gettin' ya killed...But if she means that much to you, then fuck it. Say who's this?" He was now looking at AJ. The dark-haired boy didn't know what to think of the older man. He had just met him and he didn't seem like the nicest or most stable of individuals. "What's your name kid?"

"...AJ. My name's AJ." he said hesitantly.

"Well AJ. You look like a fine young man. In fact, if you were a little older, I would -" Ellie budded in and slapped Bill's hand away that was trying to touch AJ. It was disturbing to her, especially knowing what Bill was sexually attracted to.

"Back off Bill! I know what you're trying to do. He's mine. You can't have him." AJ blushed in embarrassment. He had to admit, it was really weird that Bill was trying to win him over. At first, he thought nothing of it, but now he realized Bill's true intentions, and he found it flattering, but disgusting at the same time.

"What do you mean you -" Bill thought about it for a second. He remembered losing a couple of his things right after Joel and Ellie had left his town, one of them being his magazine. And he remembered that Ellie was the one who was looking through his stuff back then. "I knew I didn't lose that magazine! Give it here kid."

Ellie wasn't sure how to respond. She would have gladly gave it if she still had it. But sadly, she didn't. "I-I don't exactly have it anymore. I threw it out the window on our way to Pittsburgh." She tried to explain herself but was too late. Bill had become enraged.

"YOU WHAT!?" He was about to strike Ellie with his machete when Joel stepped in and held him back. Joel knew that he was furious, but he knew deep down that he wouldn't go that far.

"Look Bill. I'm really sorry. I know it meant a lot to you, considering the pages being stuck together and all." She let out a small giggle before regaining her composure. "But I can give you the comic and the tape if you want. I still have those." She attempted to reach into her bag and look through to find Bill's things but she felt someone tug at her arm.

Bill seemed to have calmed down, even after that remark about the pages being stuck together. "No. That's alright. You keep them kid. I think you'll make better use of 'em then I ever would." Ellie smiled. She was happy that he decided to let her keep the things. Truthfully, she didn't want to give them back, so she was glad that she was allowed to keep them.

"Thanks. I guess."

Joel looked out the doorway before calling out to them. "Looks like we're in the clear. We should get going before anyone shows up. Bill, you're welcome to stay with us for a while until -" Ellie had interrupted him by nudging him in his side. He looked over at her and she gave him a dirty look. She began to whisper to him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? I don't want him staying with us. He's a total dick!"

"Well do you want to just let him sleep out in the snow tonight?"

She sighed. "No, but -"

"Then it's settled. He's staying with us. Just for a couple of days. I promise."

She sighed in frustration. She didn't enjoy the idea of Bill staying with them, but she was hungry, and she would say anything she had to in order to get home sooner and get some food in her stomach. She reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Fine. But only a couple of days. That's it." Joel gave her a smile indicating that he was proud of her for putting her resentment towards Bill aside for the time being.

"Alright Bill. You can stay with us for a couple of days until you find a place of your own."

"Appreciate it Joel. Don't worry. I won't overstay my welcome. I wouldn't want to be living around two teenagers for that long anyway." He said sarcastically. Ellie rolled her eyes at the remark and began running out the doorway.

"Come on! Let's go home then!" She was starving and she couldn't wait to get back home any longer. Joel noticed this and chased after her with Bill and AJ following close behind.

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**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've had the idea of bringing back Bill for a while now, and today was the day that I actually made it happen. Let me know what you thought in a review. It's truly appreciated. Sadly, school is just around the corner so I won't be updating as much. In fact, I will probably rarely be updating. But the more follows, favourites, and reviews I get, the harder I will try to put out more chapters. I thrive on your support. So make sure to keep those coming. And stay tuned to "Denver's Finest" as well. That story will be continued once BlueSky509 finishes his current story, No Sound, Please. Make sure to check that out. Thanks!**


	5. Disgusting,Yet Delicious

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! How's it going? I'm back with another chapter. I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I just started university on Monday and I've been given quite a bit of work already. I just had some spare time on my hands today and decided to write up the next chapter of this story. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this story, but I'm going to try my very best to update as soon as I can. So enough with this, let's get on with the story. I hope you guys enjoy it! If you enjoy this chapter, please make sure to follow, favourite, and let me know in a review. I'm really looking for more reviews. Thanks!**

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**Chapter 5**

Ellie had awoken to the sound of the front door shutting downstairs. She felt a little worried, so she decided to investigate. She jogged down the steps, one by one, as she was rubbing her eyes with her right hand. Once her eyes were beginning to respond to the daylight, she saw Joel standing still near the door. He didn't look very happy. In fact, he looked a little upset. She figured that it was in her best interest to go cheer him up, so she approached him.

"Hey. You okay?" She placed her hand gently on his shoulder when she said this, which startled him. He didn't hear her coming downstairs. He was too lost in his train of thoughts to notice. He tried to give off a fake smile so that she wouldn't question him any further.

"Well good morning kiddo. And to answer your question, I'm fine." She wasn't buying it. She didn't want to intrude, but at the same time, she didn't like to see him upset. He had gone through enough bad things throughout his life, and she wanted to make sure that he wouldn't have to go through any more.

"You don't look fine." She took a second and examined her surroundings. Then she realized it. Something was different. She couldn't hear the snoring that she had been hearing ever since Bill had come to stay with them. She didn't want to get too excited at the thought of Bill leaving, so she tried to play it call. "By the way, where's Bill? I don't hear him fucking snoring."

Joel sighed. "He left this morning. Decided that he had spent enough time with us. I told him that he could stay with us a little longer, but he refused." A big smile began to rise on the redhead's face. She couldn't help it. _Oh screw it_, she thought.

"Oh thank god! I thought that dickhead would never leave! He was pissing the shit outta me!" Joel began to chuckle under his breath. He tried to hide it but Ellie had already seen him. He realized that he wasn't setting a very good example at the moment.

The older man decided to lay down the law. "Now Ellie. It's not nice to make fun of people behind their backs." She just gave him a confused look. He never enforced rules that much before. He always let her do whatever she wanted. Why were things different now? And besides, she wasn't trying to make fun of him. She was just stating the truth. And deep down, she knew that Joel knew that what she was saying was true, but that he was taking the high road.

"Oh. Come on. I'm just having a little fun. And you know what I'm saying was true. He's a total dick." He reluctantly nodded in agreement. He wasn't proud of it, but he had to admit, she was right about that. "Besides, I know you've made fun of me behind my back." She gave him a solid glare that felt like it burned right through his eyes.

Joel was shocked to hear her say that. He didn't expect her to know about it. The only way she would have found out would have been through AJ. _Fucking kid_, he thought.

"So what'd he tell you?"

"Who?"

"AJ. I know he's the one who told you about it. So out with it. What did he tell you?"

She sighed. She wasn't really upset with what Joel had said about her. But she wanted to make him think that she was upset, in hopes of getting something out of it. "Well...he told me that you said that you're surprised that I'm not as fat as Bill, considering how much I eat. He also told me that you said that my hair looks like it was dipped in a bottle of ketchup. And oh..he said.." She began to shed a fake tear and Joel proceeded to hold her hand. He hated to witness these moments.

"Ellie. Baby girl, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean those things right? I would never try to hurt you."

She began to giggle. A confused look quickly arose on Joel's face. He wasn't sure what was going on. "I'm totally fucking with you dad. You couldn't hurt me even if you tried." Her giggle turned into a laugh at the site of Joel's smile.

"Very funny...Well maybe you're right. I can't hurt you. But I _can_ do this." He slowly got closer to her. She wasn't sure what he was doing. She was a little scared. She knew that he would never hurt her, but she was still fearful of whatever he was trying to do. _Is he trying to make a move on me? Eww. No he can't be. He's my dad. That's just sick._ She immediately shook the thought out of her head, completely grossed out by it. All of a sudden, she felt a tingling sensation on the sides of her stomach. Joel had begun to tickle her. She had been tickled before, but not for a long time.

She tried to speak while he was tickling her. But her words were coming out with breaks in between as a result of her constant laughing. "Oh..my god...stop!..It tickles!" After a few more moments, he finally stopped to let her catch her breath. She looked exhausted from all the laughter and he felt a little bad, but not that bad.

"Man that was fun...Ow...are my sides suppose to hurt?" said the young girl.

Joel let out a small laugh. Memories started to flow in the back of his mind. The last time he tickled a little girl was back before the infection when he use to tickle Sarah. It always made them both feel better. He was hoping that it would be the same case with Ellie. And hell, maybe he could use it to his advantage as well, now knowing that she was incredibly ticklish. "Uhh, dad?" He came back to the reality at the touch of Ellie's hand on his. "Yeah. It might hurt for a bit. Just try not to laugh for a little while. You'll be fine."

"That sucks. Now I gotta be all glum like you." She smiled and Joel gave her a hard glare. They stood in a moment of silence, until Ellie's stomach started to growl. She looked at Joel who had his mouth open wide as if he were about to speak. She stopped him dead in his tracks. "Don't you dare." He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.

"Alright kiddo. Go on. I have your favourite on a plate in the kitchen."

"You mean a peabut sandwich?

"A what?"

She laughed. "Y'know. Peanut and Butter. I decided to combine the words to make it easier to remember. So I call it Peabut. I know. Sounds disgusting. But it's fucking delicious!" And with that, she started to head towards the kitchen. But after taking a few steps, she remembered something and decided to gloat about it to Joel. "And for your information, I've been talking to AJ behind your back as well. I hope you don't mind." She had a straight look on her face awaiting his response. He wasn't necessarily upset. In fact, he thought he kind of deserved it because of what he said, but he still wanted to know what she was saying. It was only fair considering she already knew what he said.

"So you going to tell me what you said?"

She giggled. "I don't think so. It's for me to know and you to find out. Maybe you can ask him." She pointed at the dark-haired boy who was now standing at the top of the staircase.

"Boy. You want to tell me what she's been saying about me behind my back?" AJ thought back to what Ellie had said if this day had ever come. She had threatened to hurt him. And hurt him badly at that. He looked over to Ellie who was eating her sandwich and staring hard at him at the same time. He took it as a hint and decided to ignore the question for the time being.

"Uhh. I just realized I forgot something. Be right back." AJ disappeared into his room and shut the door. He wasn't really prepared for the moment and decided to think about what he was going to say before heading downstairs.

Ellie continued to nonchalantly eat her "peabut" sandwich until she heard the faint sound of a familiar noise that made her drop her sandwich instantly. _Click Click Click_. She looked over to Joel, and by the look on his face, she could tell that he had heard it too. Just then, AJ came marching down the stairs, having no clue what was outside.

"Alright. I'm ready to explain what.." He was cut off by Ellie running over and putting her hand over his mouth. She slowly retracted her hand away from his face and he knew by the terrified look on her face that they were in danger. He immediately became curious.

"What's going on? Joel, are we in trouble?"

Joel approached a nearby window. He was desperately hoping that this was just one of his terrible nightmares. However, as he looked out the window, he witnessed an entire hoard of infected closing in on them. He had forgotten how creepy those things were. It had been so long. But he had to protect himself. He had protect Ellie. Hell, he even had to protect AJ. "Well. Looks like we've got company. And a lot of it. Grab your guns and keep them at the ready. We've got work to do."


End file.
